Having been accepted into the class of 2005, I will be re-entering the Biological Sciences PhD program in September, after spending this past year with my baby girl (who was born last August.) My previous professional life was arts and dance related – I worked for several years as associate director for an art gallery and auction house in NYC, as well as a semi-pro performer and teacher of Raks Sharki (Arabic ‘bellydance’). I graduated with a bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of RI, and shortly after moving toNew York, attended Hunter College for my next passion – science and research. At Hunter I also spent time as an assistant to a graduate fellow in Dr. David Foster’s lab, which focuses on oncogenes and signal transduction. Projects I was involved in included effects of rapamycin on aggressive breast cancer cells, and a tumorigenesis assay on a PKC delta (tumor suppressor) knockout mouse model.

My interest still lies in cancer research, especially in areas relating to metastasis/cell motility and cell cycle control at the level of translation and protein stabilization.

I’m also interested in molecular pathology and the development of screening methods for diagnosis of disease that facilitate the appropriate use of targeted therapies.

Although I don’t have much free time to myself these days (!), I enjoy cooking, dance, a glass of good wine and listening to Cuban and lounge music.